Discovery
by Jay
Summary: A theroy on what happend to Derek. Not a very happy story to say the least...


Discovery   
Jay 

**This was written at about 2:30 in the morning. Still in morning about FreakyLinks. And in a pretty weird mood got an idea...**   
**This fic pretty much wrote itself... in fact I don't get most of it. It isn't really in my style, but what the hell. It isn't really what I think happened as far as the ending. But it's a theory. And it makes me wonder if I want to know what happened to Derek and the gang. Because as the man said...******

**"Discovery is a painful and arduous process.... "**   
  


They kicked him to the floor. As usual one of the of the few moments of conciseness since he had fallen for Nexus' plan was spent in pain. The man now held a tape recorder, and was taping his screams and pleas for help. Soon they were going to let it out again....   
He didn't know how much longer he could take it. He had, of corse, considered many times throwing himself to the monster... Ending it all now. Something held him back. Something kept him going. A sudden blow to the head plunged Derek Barnes back into darkness. 

The clanging of the cage awoke Derek. He checked his watch- a stupid habit, and useless as his watch had been broken for a while. He had no way of knowing what time it was, or even what day it was. In the haze of it all, and his apparent concussion, time had all ran together. 

The safety warning was sounding... the cage opened... Derek struggled to get up. His tired and bruised legs apparently not wanting to... 

It roared. It was hungry. As always... "TEN MINUTES MR. BARNES, LAST TEN MINUTES AND WE WILL PUT HIM BACK." the metallic voice from above. Derek finally got his legs to work, just in time to. He could hear it moving on the cool cement floor or the freezer. He ran. But not for long, he tripped over his own foot and hit his head hard on the floor. In his last few seconds of conciseness he heard it coming, growling, knowing it had found it's meal for the day... 

And then...he saw the light... 

"Derek." A voice said. He looked around. Adam! It was Adam, standing right before him! Smiling. The pain he had felt for the last two week was gone. He felt fine. 

He looked at his surroundings. It was white, well not white really. It was hard to explain the color that Derek saw. It wasn't white, but it wasn't not white... it was all colors and no color, too unreal not to be white..very hard to explain. 

"Adam... wear..how..what is this?" 

"This..." Adam said walking, though there was no ground. "is purgatory..." 

"I don't understand..." 

"Of course not..." his smile faded "This is everware...and noware...everything...and nothing.. It's the gray between the black and the white... Not death..but..**_very_**... far from life..." 

"So...why am I here." Derek asked walking to his brother, still not sure of his footing. 

"You, dear brother.. died. In a matter of speaking." 

"Like you died..." Derek said 

"Now Derek... there are a lot of thing worse that death..." his smile returned. 

"So now what? We walk by ATMs and freak out our loved ones?" 

"Aren't you the sharp wit?" 

"I try..." 

"Now." Adam said his face hardening "You decide." 

"Decide what?" 

"Weather you live...die....or stay here." 

"What?" 

"Well if you live, you go back to the world, you unconscious, with a monster 3 feet away. You die...well that's the big secret isn't it? Or stay here. Like Ad- I did. Live in the real world only don't. Be a- " 

"Ghost." Derek said, interrupting his brother. 

"Yes. So what will it be?" 

"Adam." 

"What?" Adam said, looking rather nervous. 

"I want to see the real Adam." 

"I AM the real Adam." 

Adam...had a scar about the right eyebrow, you're just a copy of me..." Derek ran over to 'Adam' and pulled up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo. "Adam hated tattoos." He showed his own arm, bearing an identical marking. 

Derek looked up to see not, his own face but that of a child, a cloaked child... "Virginia." With that she pushed him, sending him flying into nothingness... 

...."Derek?" a voice he remberd emeadetly uttered, amazed. "Adam." Derek said, he was no longer in the..what ever the hell the other place had been, but was now in a very familiar place. His own house to be exact. Adam sat on the couch next to him. 

"What...how...?" 

"I guess you have a lot of questions..." 

Derek knew this was the real Adam, his knowledge not limited to the scar above Adam's eye. "Yeah...to say the least..."   
It was then Derek noticed Lan setting in front of the computer, head in her hands. A tape, sat by here, It read: SHUT IT DOWN. "What...Lan?" he ran up to her. Waved his hands in front of her yelled. "She can't hear or see you." Adam said. "Yeah..I kinda got that." 

They talked, Adam explained it all, about Nexus, about the Harbingers, about the site, about his death, or rather his half death. All the time Lan, who had fallen asleep at the keyboard, remained silent...   


Then around, 11 p.m. The phone rang. She awoke suddenly, got up, and answered it. 

"Derek? Yes I'm his co-worker...and friend." 

She listened. Tears began to from in her eyes... 

"Yes...I can identify him..." 

Tears fell more rapidly now... 

"Yes...thank you." 

She hung up. And sobbed. She got her things, and turned to leave. She went to the computer and brought up the site's information, it's directories, it's pictures, it's rants, everything... As an after though she brought up OccultReaserch.com's files. Her hand move to the keyboard. 

"Lan NO!" Derek yelled...ovasly unheard. Adam just shook his head a watched. 

She found the key and pressed it. **Delete.**


End file.
